Pedestrians wearing face masks are seen at the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui of Hong Kong, south China, Feb. 23, 2020.Photo:Xinhua

China said it would suspend the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)'s extradition and legal assistance treaties with New Zealand, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Monday. Analysts noted New Zealand should refrain from making a bad move, like meddling in Hong Kong affairs, to ruin the prospects of China-NZ relations despite pressure from Australia and the US. 

New Zealand's unilateral suspension of its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, using China's enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong as an excuse, has seriously violated international law and the basic norms of international relations and undermined the foundation of the HKSAR's judicial cooperation with it, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin at Monday's press conference. 

"China firmly opposes this act by New Zealand, and has decided to suspend the HKSAR's extradition and judicial assistance treaties with New Zealand," Wang said.

New Zealand announced it suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong on July 28. It was the fourth in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance following the UK, Australia and Canada.

Although New Zealand did not use rhetoric as strong as that of the US and Australia, it did not change the nature of its action - politicizing judicial cooperation and meddling in Hong Kong affairs, which is China's internal affairs, analysts said. 

Liu Qing, director of the department for Asia-Pacific security and cooperation at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Monday that China and New Zealand have close economic and people-to-people exchanges. The New Zealand move overrides such cooperation and harms China's core interest of sovereignty.

China has been New Zealand's top trading partner since 2017. In 2019, 23 percent of New Zealand's exports and 16 percent of imports were conducted with China. Trade was worth $33.4 billion, according to data from the New Zealand government.

The two countries should have a bright outlook in developing diplomatic relations, but New Zealand just made a terrible move, Liu said, noting such wrongdoing will ruin sound bilateral ties.

Despite bullying from the US and geopolitical proximity with Australia, New Zealand should handle its relations with China independently and wisely, Liu said.